Events

Hosted/Participated:

Launch of the Strong Cities Network, New York

29.09.2015 – Human Security Collective took part in the official launch of the Strong Cities Network, the first global network of cities working to strengthen social cohesion and community resilience against violent extremism. Cities are vital partners in international efforts to build social cohesion and resilience to violent extremism. They are uniquely positioned to safeguard their citizens from polarisation and radicalisation to violence through partnerships with local communities. Cities are developing innovative responses to the challenge of violent extremism; the Strong Cities Network will capitalise on these experiences in order to share learnings, pool resources and build a community of cities that can inspire local action on a global scale.

Hosted in the United Nations Trusteeship Council Chamber this event brought together Mayors and municipal leaders, city-level practitioners, and other guests for the official launch of the Strong Cities Network (SCN). Welcoming remarks were offered by the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights, Prince Zeid Ra’ad Al Hussein, with a Keynote address by US Attorney General, Loretta E. Lynch.

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10th Anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1624, New York

14.09.2015 – Human Security Collective took part in the 10th anniversary of Security Council Resolution 1624 organized by the United Nations’ Counter-Terrorism Executive Directorate (UN_CTED). Resolution 1624 addresses the threat posed by incitement to commit terrorist acts. With the threat evolving and increasing, the issue remains relevant. Human Security Collective’s Fulco van Deventer (seen below in the picture on the left) spoke on a panel discussing countering incitement of terrorist acts motivated by extremism and intolerance, emphasizing the human security approach in preventing and countering violent extremism. Read the UN_CTED press release on the event here.

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NPO Meeting with FATF Secretariat, Paris

07.09.2015 –This meeting, between a cross-section of NPOs including Human Security Collective and the FATF Secretariat, was convened to discuss:

next steps on the FATF’s Best Practices Paper implementation plans, especially the impact on NPOs, capacity building for evaluators, follow-up, etc.

the possible revision of the Interpretive Note to Recommendation 8, and how NPOs can provide input to this process

the modalities of the consultation process with the NPO sector that the FATF has committed to

inclusion of NPOs in risk assessments conducted of the sector, as also in country evaluations.

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Global Forum on Youth, Peace and Security, Amman

21.08.2015 – 22.08.2015: The Global Forum, hosted by the Hashemite Kingdom of Jordan, has been envisaged as a turning point towards a new international agenda on youth, peace and security. Young people, youth-led organizations, non-governmental organizations, governments and UN entities came together to agree on a common vision and roadmap to partner with young people to prevent conflict, counter violent extremism and build lasting peace. Partnering with young people is seen as the key to building sustainable and inclusive peace. Jeanne Abdulla of the Human Security Collective contributed to the discussion on preventing and countering violent extremism. See here for the concept note and here for the draft agenda. For press coverage on Jeanne’s panel discussing the push and pull factors leading to violent extremism and the importance of enagaging with youth in countering it, see here.

11.08.2015 – 13.08.2015: DCAF, WANEP Mali and Human Security Collective organized a training and reflection meeting on security-related concepts for civil society organizations from all regions of Mali. The coordinator of Security Sector Reform in Mali and the Dutch ambassador Maarten Brouwer officially opened the meeting, which elaborated on the concept of human security and the role of civil society, especially in the ongoing Security Sector Reform (SSR) process in Mali.

The first day focused on the concept of human security and how it can be applied – exemplified by a human security analysis of the violence in Mali and trying to understand its diverse drivers. On the second day, a Malian expert explained the meaning of SSR and the different stakeholders involved. During the afternoon, there was an exchange of views between civil society and government representatives involved in the SSR process. On the last day, the challenges for a civil society engagement with the security sector were discussed and a brainstorming session took place on concrete initiatives that can be undertaken by civil society to reach out to the security sector.

The meeting was a good chance for civil society organizations already engaged in the Civil Society for a Human Security Strategy project to link their work to the security sector and get a deeper understanding on the political and technical process of SSR.

27.07.2015 – 28.07.2015: Human Security Collective, along with state representatives, representatives of other UN organisations and agencies, regional organisations, as well as researchers, implementing parties and civil society representatives participated in the UN Counter Terrorism Committee‘s technical meetings held to discuss the challenges and threats posed by foreign terrorist fighters as well as measures and policies to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters.

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29.06.2015: Human Security Collective, along with the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law and the European Foundation Centre are holding a strategy meeting to discuss the current state of progress, demands and advocacy vis-à-vis the FATF, as well as future plans for engagement. Read more here.

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Workshop and Regional Exchange with Youth Leaders, Istanbul

30.05.15 – 05.06.2015: Human Security Collective and Cordaid facilitated a workshop for Libyan, Iraqi-Kurdish and Moroccan youth leaders, providing training on human security and UNSCR 1325 and assessing the kind of follow up training and/or meaningful support that could be offered within the mandate of the project. This workshop was followed by a regional exchange, where participants worked together on different project designs (including those developed for the West Bank and Gaza). Additionally, Women Peacemakers Program (WPP) and ABAAD provided several modules and exercises on ‘gender sensitive active nonviolence’ and implementing a ‘masculinity approach’.

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ICNL Global Forum 2015, Stockholm

10.05.15 – 12.05.2015: ICNL’s Global Forum 2015 (convened every 5 years) is the premier global event focussing on the legal space for civil society. This invitation-only event brings together over 200 of the world’s leading minds across civil society, government, multilateral institutions, and the donor community – all there to help shape the future of civic space.
This year’s Forum was marked by a sense of urgency unlike any other in recent times. In too many places, governments are becoming increasingly creative in their efforts to shrink civic space. In other countries, critical windows of opportunities exist for meaningful reform.
Lia van Broekhoven of Human Security Collective was on the panel: ‘In the Shadow of Counter-Terrorism: Debunking Government Restrictions on CSOs’. See here for more details.

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‘Who Owns the Transparency Agenda and To What Purpose?’, Brussels

22.04.2015: The European Foundation Centre, the European Center for Not-for-profit Law and the Human Security Collective together hosted an interactive policy briefing that asked: Who Owns the Transparency Agenda and To What Purpose? Transparency is becoming a go-to response when it comes to curing society of its multiple ills, whether the goal is ensuring greater accountability and better democratic practice, dealing with corruption, or preventing the financing of terrorism and money laundering. But whose agenda is driving this trend?
This session helped open up the debate around this question and work through multiple perspectives on the issue. It concluded that: ‘Transparency is not an agenda in itself but rather a method through which a multiplicity of society’s ills are being targeted. The effectiveness of the drive to transparency must be nuanced and considered in its application, it should be used as a means to empower not suppress and it should not be falsely categorised as a simple solution.’ Read more here.

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Tier–group meeting, Bamako, Mali.

31.03.15 – 01.04.15: Organised by Human Security Collective (HSC) along with the West Africa Network for Peacebuilding (WANEP), the Global Partnership for the Prevention of Armed Conflict (GPPAC) and the Austrian Development Corporation (ADA), this consultative meeting is part of the three-year project on ‘Human Security and Countering Violent Extremism’ that HSC is involved in. The two-day meeting seeks to take stock of the project so far, discuss learnings and map the way forward. See here for the agenda.

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FATF-NPO Consultation, Brussels

25.03.2015: A one-day consulatation between representatives of the non profit sector and the Financial Action Task Force on the revised Best Practices Paper. See here for more details. And here for an update of the meeting.

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Roundtable on Terrorist Financing Measures and the Non-Profit Sector, Berlin

17.03.2015: Jointly hosted by Human Security Collective, the European Center for Not-for-Profit Law, the European Foundation Centre and Brot für die Welt, the roundtable discussed counterterrorism measures and their impact on the NPO sector as well as potential ways forward from an NPO perspective. The discussion was held in English under the Chatham House rules.
The session provided the opportunity for a practical exchange among not only German but also stakeholders from other European countries on how anti-terrorist financing regulation affects the work of public benefit organizations. How does the Financial Action Task Force (FATF), which has become the global standard setter on this matter, operate? Participants also discussed the sector’s experiences with European FATF evaluation processes and looked ahead at the opportunities for advocacy engagement to make sure that FATF implementation mechanisms do not unnecessarily limit the space for civil society.

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12.03.2015: Convened by the Women Peacemakers Programme (WPP), Human Security Collective (HSC), Women in Governance India (WinG) and the Ecumenical Women’s Initiative (Croatia), The Netherlands Permanent Mission to the UN hosted a panel discussion to look at emerging trends in the women, peace & security field directly related to counterterrorism measures. It specifically highlighted the obstacles women’s organizations and activists encounter in regards to shrinking space due to tightened financial regulations, and provided a list of key recommendations for civil society, national and international policy makers, as well as UN representatives.
Lia van Broekhoven, Executive Director of Human Security Collective, was on the panel.

Workshop on Counter-Terrorism, Mombassa, Kenya

20.01 – 22.01.2015: Human Security Collective, together with the International Centre for Counter-Terrorism (ICCT), The Hague and the UN Counter-Terrorism Committee (CTED) successfully hosted the Kenyan national implementation workshop on security council resolutions 1624 and 2178 relating to counter-terrorism. The report is here.